The arrestee was identified as Soni Behera, wife of Bijaya Behera. She confessed that she had thrown her daughter into the pond due to acute poverty as her husband was unemployed.

Kuakhia police station IIC Ashis Kumar Sahoo said that on Saturday Soni had quarreled with her husband; and with rage of anger she had thrown her daughter in the pond while other family members were sleeping. Soni was later forwarded to court.